FORMER British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion David Price, 18-2 (15), underwent surgery to repair a damaged tendon in his right hand. The operation, performed by renowned hand specialist Mike Hayton, was a success and the 6ft 8ins Merseysider is expected to make his ring return in December.
“I picked up a hand injury in my last fight against [Yaroslav] Zavorotnyi,” said Price about the June 10-round points victory. “It had been four weeks and there had been no real improvement so I went to see Mike Hayton and we decided to open it up and see what the problem was.
“There was a split in the tendon and some scar tissue that had to be removed. It is still a little sore now but Mike was pleased with how it went and he is confident that my hand will be back to full strength in no time.
“Realistically we will be looking at December before I am able to get back in the ring. I am going to stay in the gym. There is still a lot of work I can do. I will just need to avoid any impact training for the time being.
“I am glad I have got this sorted now. There was the option to take a fight in September, get an injection and fight through the injury but then you run the risk of making it worse or causing some permanent damage.
“There is no doubt that I will benefit from the additional time in the gym and come back even stronger. It is a minor setback but by the end of the year I will have boxed four times in 2014 and that is a massive step in the right direction. Next year I will be ready to take on anyone!”
